Turmoil in Chapel Hill: Bill Belichick’s Rough Start to His College Coaching Career

On December 11, 2024, UNC Chapel Hill hired Bill Belichick as the head coach of the football program. Belichick served as head coach for the New England Patriots for 29 years and won six Super Bowls in that time. He left the Patriots in January of 2024. When UNC’s former head coach Mack Brown stepped down, Belichick saw an opportunity to get back into the coaching world. 

Students, alumni, and fans anticipated the UNC football team’s season this year due to Belichick’s entry into the program. Most people thought that he would enliven the UNC program and lead them to a championship.

Belichick debuted his college coaching career on September 1st against TCU. The game was nationally streamed on ESPN, and the whole country watched to see how the Tar Heels would perform. UNC ended up losing to TCU 48-14 in a disappointing and embarrassing loss for Belichick. Seven games into the season, UNC has a record of 2-5, and they are ranked 15th out of 17 teams in the ACC. The beginning of the season has been a major disappointment to UNC fans, including many here at Charlotte Catholic. 

Every year, UNC is one of the most popular colleges for students at Charlotte Catholic to root for. The football team’s disappointing season has frustrated students who have been lifelong UNC fans. 

Junior Andrew Shepard, whose parents are both alumni, has been a UNC fan his whole life. He was initially very excited when Belichick was hired and “had high hopes that he would bring in a load of recruits and experience to the program.” However he later said, “After the rough start, my opinion of the team is pretty disappointing. I expected better from a coach who had so much success in the NFL.”

Disappointment is a common feeling among UNC fans at this point. Particularly, students at Charlotte Catholic are upset because a large number are fans who hope to attend the school one day. 

Along with the struggle on the field, the program has had internal issues as well. Belichick recently had to suspend their cornerback’s coach for breaking NCAA guidelines regarding improper benefits to recruits. As well, there have been many issues regarding a potential buyout of Belichick by UNC. However, nothing has come out from those rumors. 

Andrew said, “He should be given one more year before a replacement should be found. He needs time to settle into a new pace of college football, but after the 2026-2027 season, if the program is still abysmal, they should find a new head coach.”

It is clear that Belichick has had a rough start to his college coaching career, and his failure so far continues to affect the many UNC fans at Charlotte Catholic.

Credit: New York Times